My Life With Art

 

My Life With Art

 

When I was a little girl I’d often spend time in my backyard looking at the splendid colors of leaves. The flowers, snails and butterflies always left me amazed. I observed how green moss created textures, tones and colors on the walls of fresh paint and left behind magical traces. The vibrant shades of green on the almond trees added to the magic. I would stare in awe and absorb the warmth of the sun from time to time .

                                

My association with color began back then and that’s how I recall. Victory  Villa is where I grew up . A characteristic house that had a world of its own and a vibe that took me into dimensions that brought out deep thoughts, art and creative energy. A home where time stopped and beautiful things had a chance to bloom... like the pink flowers on the champa (frangipani) tree that was for me the epitome of brightness and color. I waited for it to bloom and watched for tiny buds to show up on trees that seemed incomplete. The mango tree that surprised us with fruit and fragrances and the golden oriole that found itself perched on a branch and of course the guest appearance of the Paradise Fly Catcher whose tail swirled like ribbons in the midst of green. All these moments have left imprints which kept my sense of wonder alive  and  is what I thank existence for. The breath of fresh air in this life of mine .

 

Back In school, in a dingy classroom, I often found myself creating designs at the end of brown paper clad school books distracted into other worlds .It was hard being bound to a structured way of learning and I feel like Art was my freedom and a friend like no other.  I eventually went on to study Textile and Surface design at FIT in NYC and grew into making delicate designs that went to become prints on fabric.

 

For some time I flirted with the idea of using charcoal as a medium and enjoyed that immensely  until I began exploring water colors with ink and other materials and realized it helps create some very interesting effects. I could say I’m hooked. The medium helped in making my art illusionary and yet real with a life of its own. I resonate with the transparency of water colors and the textures I can create with ink . I find it fun, exuberating and very empowering. Some of the hues are intense while others are subtle and soft . A mixed bag of art that brings out a mixed set of responses which I am eager to witness.

 

Lady luck had been on my side when I met with Mr.Randhir Khare at Gyaan Adab. He is a Mentor I respect deeply because he helped me channel my art and tap resources within myself and express them in my work . It has been a very interesting experience. The process of painting and breaking new ground from time to time and coming up with work that has been a result of being  in tune - is full of life and excitement. Being  in sync with myself and the world around me is inspirational. In his book  ‘I Celebrate’  he  says that expressing yourself through your art  is an act of bravery.

 

When I paint I feel connected to gateways that lead me to spaces within my own self. Art is meant to make you feel something which leaves your mind addicted to newness and fresh perspectives . What you cannot say through words you can express through art, some of the best art being an act of play – it is the one space where  you can be yourself and feel truly alive.

 

I visited the Meher Baba Ashram, a place of holy pilgrimage, earlier this year and I truly feel that he opened a channel in my thick skull making way for ideas and thoughts that have found expression in my work. My favourite piece of artwork as a result of that experience is ' The Chambers Of Nautilus'. The little goldfish goes into the chambers to find herself and comes out feeling rejuvenated after her lavish helpings of silence and serenity.    SALIKA VIRJI